Email: Ted.Schnell@Patch.com
Cell phone: 847-450-8837 Hometown: Elgin, IL Birthday: Jan. 8 Bio: Married, father of five — three boys ages 18, 21 and 26, and two girls, ages 10 and 12. Education: Graduated from St. Mary's College (now a university) with a degree in journalism. Career: First news job as a reporter/photographer in Rawlins, WY. Worked as news editor in Cheyenne, Wyo., for several years in the early 1990s before returning to Elgin, IL, in 1994 to work as night editor of The Courier-News. Promoted in 2007 to web content editor, a position he held until he was laid off in December 2010. Began writing a blog, Laid off at 51: Seeking joy in change, about being an unemployed journalist and writing about journalism trends and issues. Worked part-time at an Elgin news website, later added more part-time work as a guest editor for Patch.com. Began full-time work as local editor for St. Charles, IL Patch in July 2012. Interests/hobbies: My faith in God is very important to me, as is my family. After that, I love fishing, reading, wildlife, photography and writing/blogging.